The present invention relates to a vehicle scat tray table and in particular to a tray table mounted to the armrest of a vehicle seat for use by the scat occupant.
Vehicle manufacturers are continually striving to include additional features in motor vehicles that provide greater convenience for a vehicle user. A tray table for use by a seat occupant is one feature that has not been widely used in motor vehicles. While such tray tables are commonly available in airplane seating, packaging issues have prevented their widespread use in motor vehicles.
The present invention addresses these issues by providing a tray table mounted to a vehicle seat armrest. The tray table has a stowed position extending downwardly below the armrest body. The tray table moves from the stowed position beneath the armrest to a use position forward of the armrest body and extending horizontally over the lap of a seat occupant. Several possible points of interference exist in the deployment of the tray table from its stowed position to its use position. One possible point of interference occurs in the rotation of the tray table forward from beneath the armrest, where the tray table may contact the vehicle floor. A second possible point of interference occurs with the forward rotation of the tray table, where the tray table may contact the seat back of the next forward vehicle seat. One way to avoid these interference points is to reduce the size of the tray table. However, a tray table which can be rotated from the stowed position to the use position without any interference must be reduced in size to the degree where it is of limited use as a tray table.
The present invention addresses these interference issues by providing a tray table which is mounted to the armrest via a four-bar mechanism. The armrest serves as one link of the four-bar mechanism. During deployment of the tray table, the armrest is raised from its generally horizontal use position. Once the tray table has been rotated forward and upward, the armrest then returns to its generally horizontal use position, leaving the deployed tray table in a generally horizontal use position over the lap of the seat occupant. By raising the armrest, the pivot point about which the tray table rotates forward is sufficiently high that interference with the vehicle floor is avoided. Raising the armrest also causes the tray table pivot to move rearward. This allows the tray table to continue to rotate forward and upward, without interfering with the seat back of the seat in front of the tray table.
As an additional feature of the invention, the armrest is coupled to the seat back and seat base via a second four-bar mechanism, forming a parallelogram. This enables the armrest to maintain a relatively constant attitude regardless of the recline or dump position of the seat back. As a result, the tray table remains substantially horizontal over the lap of the seat occupant, regardless of the angle of the seat back.
The tray table of the present invention is designed for use within a captain""s chair, such as that used within a van or sport utility type vehicle. However, the tray table is not limited to use in such applications. The tray table is particularly well suited for use in a second or third row captain""s chair and is preferably mounted to the inboard armrest of the seat assembly. However, the invention is not limited to use at an inboard armrest.